C&P Old Style
I’ve been doing letterpress printing on an etching press (tricky stuff) and have started my own buisness printing wedding invites. runs of 100-130, but can forsee 300+ in the future. I’m thinking about buying an old C&P Oldstyle- chase size 7 x 11. This press hasn’t been used in over 15 years. No motor. Rollers are there- but the rubber is gone on them. Wondering if any one- with experience on this press- has any advice about it. The man that owns it says that he wasn’t going to print on it because the size of the platten and the three rollers require sooo much ink that it wouldn’t be worth it. Does anyone know if that is the case with these? Is this press meant for printing thousands- and not 100’s? Would I be getting myself into a situation where I’ll want to pull my hair out in frustration? Do I have to buy type or can I use magnesium plates with type already on them? Are these presses a total pain in the…you know what? Any advice greatly appreciated!
If you are planning to be printing lots in the future, I think it would be a great investment. You just have to really consider if this a good investment.
You can definitely print low quantities on this type of press, especially when you only have a treadle. With a small motor you can easily print in the 1000’s but the most I’ve ever done was about 250 on a C&P.
I’m a big fan of setting my own type but using mag. or polymer plates have some advantages. It’s up to you. I think one benefit from using plates is that you dont need lots of type cabinets filled with real heavy lead. I like using the boxcar plates in the chase cause I feel more secure that they wont fall out.
Printing on an etching press, wow, never thought of doing that.
I think the guy was just jiving you on the ink issue. They actually require very little ink…probably less than a teaspoon.
If you’re willing to take the time to clean the beast and order new rollers, it’s well worth the investment. I can’t imagine having to print 100 invites on an etching press. Sounds like torture.
The C&P’s can definitely print in the thousands if your arms can keep up with it. And there are lots of moments of frustration and your friends and family will think you’re crazy and tell you that “You could do that on an inkjet”, but in the end, when every kink has been ironed out, it’s worth it just to say, “Yeah…I printed those.”
I say go for it.
-Leslie.
I concur with Leslie
How far do you have to move it ? ? ?
How are you going to move it ? ? ?
How much do you have to pay for it ? ? ?
Does it have any welds or breaks ? ? ?
Thanks all for responding. I actually went and looked at a C & P Pilot press and put down a deposit on that one. The old style was just too big for me to commit to it yet. I’m going to post questions about the pilot in classifieds. if anyone knows anything about this one…
In discussions, I mean, not classifieds